Heat-treating apparatus



June 3, 1947. SOMES 2,421,525

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H. E. SOMES 2,421,525

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HEAT TREATING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 24, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet 5llmmmnlmimlnl uvvuvrozz Howardli Some:

June 3, 1947. H. E. SOMES 2,421,525

A HEAT TREATING APPARATUS OriginalFiled Feb. 24, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet 64// I W INVENTOR H0 ward 25' ames A TTORNE Y June 3, 94 H. E. SOMES HEATTREATING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 24, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 a I a IHoward fiiomes' BY %%1 K ATTORNEY 1L anal Patented June 3, 1947HEAT-TREATING APPARATUS Howard E. Somes, Detroit, Mich., assignor, bymesne assignments, to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporationof Pennsylvania Original application February 24, 1943, Serial No.476,991. Divided and this application May 17, 1944, Serial No. 535,909

8 Claims.

1 This invention, the application for which is a division of mycopending application, Serial No. 476,991, filed February 24, 1943,relates to heat ir'citin and more particularly to an improved machinefor heat treating metallic articles.

In heat treating certain types-of articles, particularly byelectromagnetic induction heating and quenching, it is necessary tooperate with close clearance between the article surface and suchelements as, for example, the heating head, yet provision must be madefor relative movement therebetween to permit easy and quick insertion ofa work piece in place and removal therefrom. An object of this inventionis to provide an improved machine for heat treating articles constructedand arranged to insure the accurate locating of the operative partsrelative to each other and to a work piece during opera-' tion.

With certain articles it is desirable to treat, as by heating andquenching to harden, spaced areas on the article without treating theremaining or intervening. areas. This is the case, for example, withsucharticles as airplane propeller hubs in which a hub having a central borefor mountin upon a propeller shaft is provided with a plurality ofsymmetrically arranged, radial, propeller-blade receiving sockets aroundthe circumference of the hub. The inner surface of each socket ishardened by heating and quenching to increase its strength and wearingproperties, but without hardening the outer wall of any socket or themain body portion of the hub.

A further object'is to provide a, heat treating machine constructed andarranged to treat spaced areas on a work piece such, for example, as thespaced propeller-blade sockets of a propeller hub without affecting thephysical properties and characteristics of the remainder of the article.

A still further object is to provide a machine for heat treating a workpiece constructed and arranged to permit easy and accurate indexing of awork piece between heating operations to successively present andaccurately locate different areas of a workpiece for treatment.

A still further object is to provide a machine for hardening the innerfaces of annular parts by electromagnetic induction heating andquenching, in which provision is made for accurately.

positioning the different parts relatively to each other, and positivelyholding them in predetermined relation during operation.

Heretofore, the satisfactory hardening by heating and quenching ofsurface areas on articles having faces of sinuous conformation has beena difficult if not impossible operation, and'a further object is toprovide a machine for hardening sinuous surfaces on metallic articleswith such accuracy and precision as substantially eliminates variationsin the product and permits quantity production of large numbers of itemsin each of which the depth and pattern of the hardened area isaccurately controlled.

These and other objects which will be apparent.

to those skilled in the art are accomplished by the present invention,one embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings inwhich,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a heat treating machine constructed inaccordance with what I now consider a preferred embodiment of thisinvention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a. top plan view thereof I Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionalview on the line 4 4 of Fig.2;

I Fig. 5 is a section through apart of the machine on the line 5-5 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 showing thework holder and work piece in plan;

Fig. 7 is a view showing the base member of the work support in plan,parts being broken away;

Figs. 8 and 9 are transverse sections on an enlarged scale on the lines8-8 and 9!!, respectively, of Fig. 7 1

Fig. 10 is a rear view of the work supporting pedestal, partly insection, the view being taken on the line Ill-l0 of Fig. 5, and showinga work piece in position;

Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view of a detail taken on the linell-| I of Fig. 5;

Fig. 12 is a sebtional view of the upper section of the quench nozzlesupporting arbor and associated mechanism, taken on the line- I 2--l2 ofand Fig. 13 is a similar view of the quench nozzle and heating head withthe centering means therefor, showing the same in operative heatingrelation with a work piece, and taken on the line |3l3 ofFig. 2.

The particular embodiment of the present invention which has been chosenfor'illustration is especially adapted to harden, by electromagneticinduction heating and quenching, the inner surfaces of propeller-bladereceiving sockets on an airplane propeller hub to a-predetermined andcontrollable depth and pattern. However,

it will be apparent that thepresent invention is ing arbor and notlimited to a machine for treating any specific article but, on thecontrary, isequally adapted to machines for operating on various typesof work.

The illustrated machine comprises an induction heating head and worksupport which are relatively movable to move a work piece on the supportinto and out of induction heating relation with the head, and means isprovided for rotating the work piece during the heating operation. Awork enclosing hood is supported for movement relative to the work pieceand heating head and is adapted to engage the base of the work supportduring treatment so as to surround and enclose the work piece. The hoodis rotatably supported on a yoke surrounding the head supportthe arboris provided with a yoke engaging surface for accurately centering thehead in the work piece when the hood is in operative position during theheating period. Primary and secondary quenching nozzles are incorporatedin the hood construction for directing quenching fluid against the outerface of the work piece, either during or after the heating operation, orboth, to prevent the adjacent area from becoming heated to anyappreciable degree by conduction. An inner quenching nozzle is alsoprovided for directing quenching fluid against the inner surface of thesocket to harden the same after the heating operation. The work supportis not only constructed and arranged to accurately and rigidly positiona work piece in proper relation to the heating and quenching heads, butis provided also with mechanism permitting indexing of the work piecebetween heating operations to successively locate separate areas of thework piece in position for treatment.

The illustrated embodiment of the present invention is shown inconnection with a frame 2|) having a work h'older mounted upon a. worksupporting spider 2| secured at opposite sides to cylinders 22 each ofwhich is connected at each end to upper and lower bearing sleeves 23 and24, respectively. The sleeves are slidably mounted on a pair of verticalguide rods 25 secured in brackets 25 on the front of the machine frame20. Each cylinder 22 has an inner diameter greater than the outerdiameter of the associated rod 25. Each guide rod has a piston head 21located within the associated cylinder 22. Fluid pressure ports 28 and29 connect fluid passages 3| and 32 extending through the rods 25 withthe interior of the cylinders 22 on opposite sides of the piston head21. Suitable valve mechanism of any desired type, not shown, can beemployed for delivering and exhausting fluid pressure to and from thecylinders 22 through the ports 28 and 29 for the purpose of ,raising andlowering the work supporting spider 2|, and the work support mountedthereon, in the manner hereinafter described.

A work holder supporting plate 33 is supported on the spider 2| and hasa central, vertically extending, annular flange 34, see Fig. 4, forrotatably supporting through bearings 55 the vertical hollow shaft 35 ofa rotary supporting member 21 to which is secured for rotation therewitha suitable work support.

The work support comprises a base formed by a plurality of superimposedplates which are channeled to provide inlet passages for cool quenchingfluid and an outlet for heated quenching fluid after it has been used.As illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and '1 to 9, this base comprises a lowerplate 25 secured to the rotary support 51; an intermediate annular plate3! having a central annular hub 4| and outer, circumferential rim 42,the annular rim being bolted to the lower plate 25 as best shown in Fig.5. It will be noted thatthe annular rim 42 is of less axial extent thanthe hub 4|, and that a ring 43 rests on the rim 42 and cooperates withthe upper face of the hub 4| to provide a flat support for a top plate44 on which is mounted a work holder pedestal 45., Suitable gaskets arepreferably provided between the various plates of the work holder base.An annular ring or gasket 45, of rubber or the like, see Figs. 4, 8 and9, is provided around the edge of the upper face of top plate 44, for apurpose to be hereinafter described.

As best shown in Figs. 5 and 8, the upper face of the lower plate 55 ischanneled to provide quenching fluid delivery passages 41 beneath theplate 39 leading to a passage 49 in the rim 42 of the plate 25 in turnleading to a port 5| in the side of a tubular member 52 projectingupwardly through the superimposed plates 33 and 44 and for a distanceabove the top plate 44, see Fig. 8.

The tubular member 52 has a discharge port 52 communicating with adischarge outlet passage 54 formed in the ring 42 to permit quenchingfluid remaining in the tubular member and associated parts at the end ofa quenching operation to drain out. During quenching, the drain port 53is closed by a valve 55 slidably mounted in the lower end of the tubularmember 52 andhaving a head 55 subject to pressure of quenching fluidthrough a port 51 connecting the passageway 4! in the plate I! with theend of the tubular member 52. It will be apparent that the pressure ofthe quenching fluid during a quenching operation will be electivethrough the port 51 on the valve head 55 to raise the latter and closethe drain port 53, at the same time bringing the port 55 in the side ofthe valve member 52 into registry with the port 5| communicating withthe quench discharge pass eway 49, thus permitting quenching fluid toflow upwardly through the tubular member 52. when the quench is cut off,release of the pressure allows the valve member 55 to drop to theposition illustrated in Hg. 8 in which the supply port 5| is shut and adischarge port 5! opened to permit draining of the quenching fluid fromthe upper part of the tube 52 and the associated apparatus. It should benoted that the port 55 and the valve member 55 are so located withrespect to the upper end of the valve that in moving upwardly the valvecloses the outlet port 55 before the supply port 5| is opened.

The radially inner end of each channel 41 communicates through a port 5|with the hollow interior of the vertical hollow shaft 55 to whichquenching fluid is supplied from a supply line 52 through supply pmages55 in a closure member 54 secured to the bottom of the spider 2|, port55 in e, packing sleeve 55 and channel 51 between the sleeve 55 and thecentral tubular member 55, the channel 51 communicating, see Fig. 4,with the interior of the hollow shaft 55.

It will be seen from Fig. '1 that the radial channels 41 in the base ofplate 35 alternate with tubular members 52.

Unlike the channels 41, however, the inner ends oi the channels 1| openthrough ports 14 to' the inner central opening 15 in the hub of theplate 38, this opening communicating with the interior of the tube 88and being connected thereby to a quenching fluid supply line 18.

The workencloslng hood 11 is mounted for rotation/in a supporting spider18, secured to the upper ends of three circumferentially spacedsupporting rods 18 which extend downwardly through the work supportingspider 2| into cylinders 8|, see Fig. v1, by means of which the rods 18and hood 1.1 can be raised and, lowered through the medium. of fluidpressure delivered to the lower end of the cylinders 8| through a supplythe intermediate line .82, a suitable valve, not shown, being employedto control the delivery and exhaust of fluid pressure to and from thecylinders 8|. Any suit-' able form of construction, not shown, can beemployed to provide a fluid-tight joint between the hood supporting rod11 and the inner walls of the cylinderv 8|, such as a conventionalpistonv head or the like. The hood supporting spider 18 is alsoprovidedwith extensions 83 slidalblyengaging the. guide rods to guidethe move-.

ment of the spider and hood into and out of operative position asindicated in Fig. 1. q

The hood is rotatably supported in the spider 18 by a hollow hanger 84secured to the top of the hood and mounted for rotation in rollerbearlugs 85 or the like in the center of the -spider .18. An oil chamber8 8 surrounds the bearing supporting flange- 81 and a'pump 88circulatesoil through the bearings. 1

Like the work supporting base above described,

I I2 secured to and 12 in the work supquenching fluid passing extendingtubular member porting base so that through the tubular member 13 flowsupwardly through tubes I85, ports I84, passage I83, to the primaryquench nozzle 88. Quenching fluid is supplied to the secondary quenchingnozzle 88 through a circular passage I 88 formed between and lowernozzle rings 84 and 88, communicating through ports I81 with an annularpassage I88 formed in the ring I82 and connected by radial passages I88in the ring I82 to a circumferential row of ports II I communicatingwith tubular quenching fluid delivery tubes suspended from the plate I82in a manner similar to the primary quench tubes I85 withwhichthesecondary quench tubes 2 alternate circumferentially of theplate I82. The lower end of each secondary quench tube II2 fits over anassociated tubular member 52 at the work supporting base when the hoodis in engagement with the base.

a A work holder for directly supporting the work piece is mounted uponthe work supporting base and is constructed and arranged to permit ahaving diametrically opposed slots II5 adapted the top of the hood 11 isformed by a plurality f of channeled plates and rings that are soconibined as to provide passages for the delivery of quenching fluid tothe outer face of a work piece enclosed within the hood. As illustratedthis is formed by a. circular top' -plate 8| bolted to the lower end ofthe annular hanger 84 and having secured around a. central opening 82therein an;

upper nozzle ring 83 adapted to overlie the end of a work piece when thehood is in operative position, see Figs. 4 and 5. Th ring-83. cooperateswith a second, intermediate, nozzle ring 84 to form a, primary quenchingnozzle 85 .for directing a. quenching fluid on the outer edge orshoulder of an annular work piece such as'the propeller blade socket 86-of the propeller hub'81 illustrated. I

The intermediate nozzle ring 84 cooperates with a third, lower, nozzlering 88 to form a secondary quenching nozzle 88 for delivering quenchingfluid to an-intermediate portion 'of the outer face of the work piece.The intermediate ring 84 is mounted on and secured to an annular plateI8 I, in turn bolted to a lower plate I82 having an edge coinciding withand secured to the periphery of the circular top plate 8|.

Quenching fluid is conducted to the primary quenching nozzle'85 througha passage I 83 formed between the top plate 8| and the nozzle ring sup,porting plate H, see Fig, 5, which passageway opens through ports I84near the outer edge of the lower plate I82 with depending hollow tubesI85 extending downwardly from the plate I82 to which they are securedwithin the hood 11. When the hood is located in operative engagementwith the base of the work support, as illusto cooperate with a removablekey II 1 by means of which the bushing can be secured in either of twopositions in a supporting collar II8 on the standard .45, to support thespindle at either .of two levels, depending on the dimensions of -hubbore. The clamping disc is secured'to a short shaft I25 rotatablymounted in the upper end of an arm I26 slidably and rotatably supportedon a hollow shaft I21 projecting outwardly from a supporting bracketI28. A hand wheel I28 i mounted on the, outer end of the shaft I25. Theopposite end of the shaft I25, ad-

jacent to clamping disc I24, is recessedto receive the projecting end ofthe work supporting trated in Fig. 5, the lower end of each tube I85moved bodily to the left along supporting shaft fits over the upper endof the associated vertically spindle H4, 2. pin I3I mounted in therecess of the shaft I25 being adapted to engage the bayonet slot I32 inthe spindle. 'A detent mechanism I33 is provided for yieldingly holdingthe shaft I25 in proper work locatin position. The lower end of the armI28, below the supporting shaft I21 has a pair of feet I34 adapted toengage supporting surfaces I 35 when the bracket arm I28 is inoperative-work supporting position, see Fig. 5. To release a work piecethe wheel I28 is rotated to unlock the pin and bayonet slot connectionpermitting the arm to' be I21, see Fig. 5, to withdraw the clamping discI24 from engagement with the bore of the propeller hub. This removes thefeet I34 from engagement with the supporting surfaces I35, after whichthe arm can be tilted about the shaft I21 to the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 4, in which position it is held by a rod I38 or thelike engaging a suitable stop I31 on the side of the bracket arm.This'leaves the end of the work supporting spindle II4 free and the workpiece readily accessible for removal therefrom.

Mechanism is provided for accurately locating the work piece in properposition on the spindle and for indexing the work piece betweensuccessive operations for presenting different blade sockets to'theheating and quenching heads. This mechanism, as illustrated, comprisesan indexing plate I38 secured to the work supporting bushing II9. A pinI39 is secured in the plate in position to engage one of the boltopenings I4I formed in the hub. The indexing plate is accurately held inposition socket for treatment by an easily releasable locking mechanismsuch, for example, as a pin I42 slidably mounted in the pedestal toengage an opening I43 in the index plate. The pin can be withdrawn by alever I44 pivoted to the pedestal and connected at its lower end to ashaft I45 slidably mounted in a slotted bearing I45 and extendingforwardly through the bore of the hol- 10w shaft I21, a helical springI41 normally pressing the shaft to hold the pin I42 in operativeposition.

It will be apparent that after the hardening operation, the work can beeasily and quickly, and at the same time accurately indexed by releasingthe locking pin I42 by pulling the shaft I45 to the left as indicated inFig. 5, where: upon rotating the hand wheel I29 to the right will rotatethe work supporting shaft H4 and the hub supported thereon to bring anuntreated socket into position for hardening.

During the heat treating operation the work holder and support, togetherwith the surrounding hood and quench nozzles are rotated by a motor I48,see Fig. 4, and driving gear I49 mounted on the central hollow shaft 38,the motor casing being secured to the bottom of the spider MI. The gearI49 is also geared to an oil pump II which circulates lubricant fromreservoir I52 through a feed tube I53 and passage I54 to the bearing 35.The passage I54 extends around the supporting plate I33 and an openingI55 is located above the gearing conmeeting the motor I48 and the gearI49 for the lubrication thereof.

A splash pan I58 is secured to the upper edge of the plate 33 for apurpose to be hereinafter described and a quenching fluid drain outletI51 is provided in the bottom plate 33 for draining off quenching fluid.Drain openings I58 and I59 in the intermediate plate 39 and lower plate38, respectively, and opening ISO in top plate 44 permit the quenchfluid to flow into the outlet I51. The heating head IGI is shown ashaving a multiturn, single, hollow conductor, inducing coil I82surrounding the usual laminations I83 mounted on a coil support I64between cooperating shoulders I85 formed on the support and on alamination holding ring I86 held in place by an annulus I61 and nut I88threaded to the coil support' I64. During heating the hollow coil issupplied with coolant through a supply pipe I89 connected to a supplypassage I1I formed in the coil support leading to an annular passage I12cohto properly locate a .ing yoke I14 nected to the lower turn of theinducing coil. The opposite end of the coil extends upwardly through theannulus I81 into a channel formed in a split clamping yo e I14 to whichis also connected the coolant discharge line I18.

The upper end of the coil support I84 is threaded to a collar I18engaging a shoulder I11 formed on a sleeve I18 threaded at its upper endto the lower end of an inner arbor munber I18. It will be noted that theinner arbor member I18, sleeve I18, and coil support I84 areelectrics-lb connected together and to the lower .turn of the inductionheating coil I82. The upper end of the coil supporting member I84 issecured in the split clamping yoke I14 which is insulated from the coilsupporting member by a ring "I of electrical insulating material. Theclamping yoke is mounted at the lower end of a supporting hanger I82suspended froma nut I83 threaded to the lower end of an outer annular,current conducting arbor member I84 concentric with and surrounding theinner arbor member I19 and lust!- lated therefrom by a sleeve I85 ofelectrical insulating material. It will also be noted that the outerarbor member I84, hanger I82 and clampare electrically connectedtogether and to the extension I13 of the induction heating coil.

The arbor members are supported from a transformer supporting frame I88and are electrically connected in the usual way to transformer coilslocated within the transformer housing I81, the associated electricalapparatus being housed within the frame 28 of the machine. It will beseen that the nut I83 and hanger I82 are insulated from the sleeve I19by a collar I88 of electrical insulating material.

Surrounding the lower ends of the arbor members, and supported upon thenut I83. is a cylindrical member I89, the lower annular end of whichengages a shoulder I9I on the outer arbor member I84, so that thecylindrical member is clamped between such shoulder and the nut I83.During the heating operation, when the heating head is positioned withinthe work piece socket, the outer surface of the cylindrical member I89is slidably engaged by the circular wall of a. central opening I92 in acentering collar I93, see Fig. 5, mounted within an annular plate I94supported on the yoke 18 which supports the hood supporting hanger 84.An oil seal is provided for preventing oil flowing from the reservoir 88to the interior of the hanger 84 by an annular oil seal plate I95between which and the top plate I94 is an oil seal I98.

By engagement of the cylindrical member I89 with the surface I92 whichis occasioned when the work piece, heating head and work enclosing hoodare in operative heating position, as shown in Fig. 5, the heating headis rigidly held in exact position relative to the socket being treatedand rotation of the parts occurs on an axial line which is rigidlylocated between the lower rotary work piece support 31 and shaft 38which are accurately centered by the supporting spider and as sociatedguide rods 25, and the upper center of rotation formed by the rotaryhanger 84 which is accurately positioned by the hanger 18 and guide rods25.

Means are provided for quenching the inner, heated surface of thesocket. As shown, a quench tube I91 is positioned within the innerannular arbor member I19 and is provided with non-1e openings I98 shownas arranged in circumferential rows at the lower end of the tube,.seePig.

through any suitable, conventional, valve mechanism In operation, at thebeginning, the work support is at its lowermost position as shown inFigs.

' 1 and 2, and the work enclosing hood I1 is in raised position shown indotted lines 'in Fig. 1,

thus making the work holder, easily accessible for the positioning of awork piece in place. With the work clamping mechanism on' the arm I26shifted to inoperative position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, a workpiece Such as the illustrated propeller hub having three, spaced, bladeQuenching'fluid which may be gaseous or liquid,

but which in the illustrated machine is preferably air, is admitted tothe supply chamber 204 through a port 205 connected to a supply line206', see Fig. 1. When the quenching nozzle and tubeare in elevated,inoperative, non-quenching position, shown in Figs. 12 and 13, it willbe apparent that the open upper end of the quench tube is cut oil fromthe supply chamber 204 by projecting into the chambered flange 205,'butthat upon lowering the tube to the operative quenching position shown inFig. 4, the upper end 01' thetube 'will be. withdrawn from the chamberedflange into communicationwiththe supply chamber 204 so that quenchingfluid will flow freely through the quenching nozzle. The dimensions aresuch that a predetermined extent of downward movement suflicient tolocate the nozzleln a predetermined position is required beforequenching fluid can flow. A piston 201' is secured to the nozzle tubeandmounted within the cylinder 202. -A' fluid pressure line 208 isconnected through a port 209and passage 2 with a restricted annularpassage 2I2 opening at one end into the cylinder at one side of thepiston which has, an'annular end-2I3 of reduced diameter adapted toenteran annular opening 2 of less cross sectional area than that of the maincylinder. The pressure supply, port 209 is also connected through acheck passage 2I6 to the main part of the cylinder 202.

A second pressure'lin 2" is connected to a port 2I3 in the lowercylinder head I, the port 2I8 communicating through apassage 2I9 with arestricted annular opening 22I at the lower end of the cylinder adaptedto receive a lower extension 222 on the piston head201. The port 2I8also communicates through a check sage 224 with the main cylinder.

It will be readily understood that the upper and lower extensions 2 I 3and 222, respectively; on the piston head 201 cooperate with therestricted cylinder extensions 2I4 and MI, respectively, for cushioningthe movement of the quench head at each end of its stroke, needle valves225 being em- ,..ployed to control the degree of cushioning. Ob-

v'iOllSlY, introduction of fluid through the port 208, when thepiston201 is in the upper position illustrated in Fig. 12, applies pressure tothe upper ends of the extension 2 I 3. This starts the pistondownwardly. after which the full pressure is delivered thereto throughthe check valve 2 I 5 and passage 2I6-. The lower end of the stroke iscushioned by the annular extension 2I3 of the piston entering thereduced "area 22I thus restricting the area forthe exhaust or fluidthrough the passage 2I8 and cushioning the lower end of the stroke. Thereverse operation'is similarly carried out by applying pressure. to thelower side of the piston through the port 218. It will, of course, bereadily understood that the control of fluid pressure in the operatinglines 203 and 2| 1 is obtained valve 223 and Des-- valve 215 and thegasket 46, see Figs. 8

receiving sockets 96,

adjusted positions, theparticular position depending upon the size ofthework piece, the eccentric being secured in key II1, Figs. 5 and 10. Thesleeve II! and adaptor I23 on which thework piece is directly supportedare shaped and ance with the particular work to be treated. Inpositioning the work on the support, one of the perforations I in thepropeller mounting flange is located over the pin I 39 mounted on theindexing plate I38, plate are rigidly connected together forsimultaneous indexing movement. The indexingplate and hub are normallyheld against any movement on the spindle by the locking pin I 42. Whenproperly positioned on the support, the workpiece is locked in place byreturning the arm I26 to vertical position and sliding it toward. thspindle II4, to the right in Fig. 5. Obviously, different positions ofthe work supporting spindle to accommodatev difierent sizes of workpieces willrequire diiferentlengths of arm I26. Bringing the arm I26into'a vertical position moves the supporting and centering discI24'into engagement with the .open bore of the'work piece,,and the pinI3I is locked in the bayonet slot I 32 by rotating the hand wheel I29'to the right, the parts being resiliently held in this position by thedetent mechanism I33. In moving the arm I26 inwardly into worksupporting position, the feet I34 are moved on to the supportingsurfaces I 35 which accurately locate the arm I 26, the outer end of thework piece being thusrigidly and accurately p0- sitioned o that thesocket 96 to be treated is also rigidly heldin accurate position forsuch treatment. Accuracy in' locating the work piece for treatmentisrequiredbecause of the close tolerances necessary between the work pieceand the heating and quenching'head's for the highest degree ofperfectionin the finished product. With the work piece securely mountedon the support, the hood 11 is lowered from the elevated position shownin dotted lines in'Fig. 1 to the lower position shown in solidlines inFigs. 1 and '2 in which it rests "upon'the base of the work support.When in this position the primary quench tubes I05, see Fig. 5, thelowerends of which are secured within an annular ring 23I, fit over thetubular quench supply members 13 in the work supporting base forreceiving quenching fluid therefrom and transmitting it to the primaryquench nozzle 95. In the same way the secondary quench tubes II 2 fitover and receive quenchin fluid from the tubular members 52,transmitting such fluid to the secondary quench nozzle 99. Theannular'ring 23I snugly engages and 9, to form a liquid tight jointbetween the hood and the top plate 44 ,of the work supporting'base.Quenching fluid proper position by the proportioned in accordso that-thehub and indexing by applying which is impinged upon the work piece bythe nozzles 55 and 99 flows over the work piece on to the worksupporting base and drains outwardly therefrom through drain openings232, see Fig. 9, formed in the ring BI and top plate 44 and whichcommunicate with drain outlets 233 formed in the upper face of the ring43.

The downward movement of the hood is occasioned by exhausting fluidpressure from the cylinders 8I permitting the rods 19 to move downwardlyunder the weight of the hood and supporting yoke. With the hood inoperative position, the work support is raised from the position shownin Figs. 1 and 2 to that illustrated in Fig. 5 in which the socket 96 tobe treated is raised into position around the heat head 2|, the latterbeing accurately centered with respect to the work piece by engagementof the cylindrical centering member I89 with the inner centering surfaceI92. This also accurately aligns the centers of rotation of the workpiece, the work support, and the hood, with the center of the heat head.The work holder, hood, and work piece are rotated by the motor I40 andelectric current of high frequency and high power is delivered to thecoil of the heating head to inductively heat the inner, sinuous surfaceof the associated socket 96 by induced electromagnetlc currents in themanner known to the art, the area penetrated by such currents beingconfined to a predetermined depth and pattern. The outer wall of thesocket 96 is maintained relatively cool, at a temperature substantiallybelow any hardening temperature. For.this purpose the quench controllingvalves, not shown, are so manipulated that quenching fluid is deliveredthrough the primary quenching nozzle against the upper shoulder andouter surface of the socket 96 during and after the heating period whichmay last in connection with the work piece illustrated for approximately17 seconds. I have successfully treated work pieces of this type theprimary quench approximately 15 seconds after the start of the heatingoperation. At the end of the heating period, the work supporting fixtureand associated hood 11 are lowered to the position shown in Figs. 1, 2and 4 by admitting operating fluid to the cylinder 22 through the inletvalve 28, above the piston head 21 and exhausting fluid from beneath thehead through the port 29. Substantially simultaneously with thismovement, operating fluid is delivered to the quench nozzle operatingcylinder 202 through the inlet port 209 to lower the piston head 201 andmove the associated inner quench nozzle I91 downwardly so as to projectbelow the heating head IGI into the heated sockets 96, as best shown inFig. 4. As above described, it is necessary to move the quench tube andnozzle downwardly a distance suflicient to withdraw the upper end of thetube from the chambered flange 205 so as to insure the nozzle beinglowered entirely away from the locating coil before fluid can flowthrough the nozzle. when in this position secondary quenching fluid isdelivered through the secondary quench nozzle 99, and additionalquenching fluid, which is preferably a gaseous medium such as air isdirected against the heated sinuous surface by the nozzle I91 to quenchsuch surface and harden it as well as a certain predetermined area,generally indicated in Fig. 4, which lies somewhat below the bottoms ofthe low portions of the sinuous surface. Preferably the quenching fluiddelivered through the nozzles 95 and 99 is a liquid which flows 12 7down over the exterior of the work piece and is drained out through thebase of the work support as above described.

Upon completion of the operation, fluid pressure is delivered to thelower end of the cylinder 202 to retract the inner quench nozzle toinoperative position within the heating head and to the cylinders 8| toraise the hood I1 to its upper position whereupon to bring anothersocket 08 into position for treatment. In this operation the shaft I45is pulled outwardly against the tension of the spring I41 to withdrawthe locking pin I42 from engagement with the index plate I30. The handwheel I20 can then be rotated to the right to bring a fresh untreatedportion of the work piece, such as a socket 96 into proper position fortreatment. Release of the shaft I45 permits the spring I41 to shift thelocking pin I42 into engagement with another opening I43 in the indexingplate.

Although I have described indetail one specific embodiment of a machinewhich is illustrative of the present invention, it will be apparent thatthe invention is not limited to such details, but that it can bevariously modified and adapted within the scope of the present claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a heat treating machine, a support for holding a workpiece inpredetermined position for heat treatment, means for directing quenchingfluid againstthe workpiece as held by said support, a hood for enclosingthe workpiece and support during heat treatment of the workpiece, saidhood and support being relatively movable into and out of work enclosingposition, and means for effecting said movement.

2. In a heat treating machine, a support for holding a tubular workpiecein predetermined position for heat treatment of one circumferentialsurface thereof, a base for said support, said support being rotatablymounted on said base, means for rotating said support and the workpieceheld thereby, a second support spaced from said base, a workpieceenclosing hood rotatably carried by said second support, said hoodhaving an end portion and nozzle means for directing cooling fluidagainst the other circumferential surface of the workpiece during heattreatment of said one circumferential surface, said second support andsaid hood being relatively movable into and out of workpiece enclosingposition, said hood in said work enclosing position engaging said baseand being rotatable by said base by reason of said engagement, means foreffecting said relative movement, and means for conducting cooling fluidto said nozzle means during rotation of said hood and base.

3. In a heat treating machine having a heating head for heating the boreof a workpiece having an annular wall, a support for holding theworkpiece, a hood having an annular end portion, said hood and supportbeing relatively movable into and out of workpiece enclosing position,means for efiecting said relative movement, said annular end portion inthe workpiece enclosing position of said hood being arranged toclrcumscribe a portion of said annular wall of the workpiece, said endportion havin nozzle means therein for directing cooling fluidcircumferentially against the outer surface of said wall, and means forconducting cooling fluid to said nozzle means.

4. In a machine for heat treating a workpiece, a workpiece enclosinghood, a base member including a support for holding the workpiece, saidhood and base member being relatively movable a work piece can beindexed fluid passageways therein, and separate fluid conduits effectiveupon relative movement of said hood and base member into workpieceenclosing position to connect said base member fluid passageways withsaid hood fluid passages.

5. In a machine for heat treating a tubular metallic workpiece, aheating head, a work support for the workpiece, means for relativelymoving said Work support and heating head to move the workpiece and saidhead axially relative to each other into and out of operative heatingrelation with respect to one circumferential surface of the workpiece,means-for rotating the workpiece during heating and quenching thereof,nozzle means rotatable with the workpiece for delivring COOIil'lg fluidagainst the other circumferential surface during heating of said onesurface, and a non-rotary quenching nozzle for discharging a quenchingfluid against said one surface after heating thereof. 7

6. In a machine for heat treating a tubular metallic workpiece, aheating head for heating one circumferential surface of the workpiece, apair of axially spaced annular nozzles arranged for concentricdisposition adjacent the other circumferential surface of the workpiece,one for discharging cooling fluid against said other surface adjacentone end thereof and the other for discharging cooling fluid against saidother surface intermediatethe ends thereof, and means for supplyingcooling fluid to said nozzles independently of each other and to atleast one of said nozzles during heating of said one circumferentialsurface.

7. In a machine for heat treating the bore of a metallic workpiecehaving an annular wall, a support for holding the workpiece to be heattreated, a heating head coaxially aligned with said wall, said head andthe workpiece as held by said support being relatively axially movableto position said head within said bore, a member having an openingtherethrough, said opening being of a diameter greater than that of saidwell, said member and workpiece as held by said 14 support being axiallyaligned and relatively axially movable to position the workpiece withinsaid opening, said member having a circumferential nozzle means thereinfor projecting cooling fluid against the outer surface of said annularwall during heating of said bore, and means in said member forconducting cooling fluid to said nozzle means.

8. In a machine for heat treating the bore of a metallic workpiecehaving an annular wall, a support for holding the workpiece to be heattreated, a heating head coaxially aligned with said wall, said head andthe workpiece as held by said support being relatively axially movableto position said head within said bore, a member having an openingtherethrough, said opening being of a diameter greater than that of saidwall, said member and workpiece as held by said support being axiallyaligned and relatively axially movable to position the workpiece withinsaid opening, said member having a circumferential nozzle means thereinfor projecting cooling fluid against the outer surface of said annularwall during heating of said bore, and sealing means engageable with theend of said wall to prevent the flow of cooling fluid between said endand said member, and means associated with said member for conductingcooling fluid to said nozzle means.

HOWARD E. SOMES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

